With the Amherst football season coming to a close in two weeks, the Amherst Football team is 6-0 after their latest victory.
A combination of stifling defense and efficient offense has led the Jeffs to some exciting wins and this weekend was no exception. The Jeffs emerged triumphant over Tufts with a score of 30-3. The Amherst defense regained confidence after allowing an unusally low number of points to Wesleyan by limiting the Jumbos’ running game. The real difference in the game can be seen in the turnover differential and the amount of Amherst tackles that led to losses for Tufts. The Jeffs’ defense came up with four interceptions, two fumbles, and six sacks on the day.
“
The defense had a solid day against Tufts,” senior captain Chris Tamasi said. “As always, we knew we had to take care of the run game, which we handled effectively, allowing only 61 yards of running offense. Tufts also had the highest passing efficiency in the league prior to our game, so we planned on making the quarterback make quick decisions under pressure.”
The Amherst offense was able to capitalize off the team’s defensive success, tallying 244 yards of offense including a big 37- yard touchdown reception from Adam Wallace ’16.
Tufts won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first. Unable to find any traction, the Jumbos punted the ball away with no first downs under their belt. The Jumbos caught a break on the play when Jaymie Spears ’16 fumbled during the return. Now in their own territory Tufts hoped to capitalize on the good field position. On this possession, Max Lehrman ’15 came up with a big sack, and constant pressure on Tufts Quarterback Jack Doll helped cause an interception by Chris Gow ’16. Gow described the ball as “a tipped pass that flew in the air because Max Lehrman crushed the QB as he threw it.” Following the play, Doll would not return to the game as he suffered a fracture in his arm and was carted off the field.
Senior quarterback Max Lippe and the Amherst offense finally hit the field around the 12-minute mark in the first quarter, starting at the Tufts 43-yard line. Focusing on the air attack, Lippe found recievers Gene Garay ’15 and Brian Ragone ’16 to move the Jeffs up to the Jumbo one-yard line. Lippe tacked on the yard to put the Jeffs on the scoreboard first with seven points.
The Jeffs defense came up big again on the next Tufts possession. Back-up quarterback Alex Snyder started the Jumbos at their own 20-yard line. On third down, Snyder looked long but was unable to find any Jumbos receivers.
Instead, Ned Deane ’15 came up with the ball at the Tufts 40-yard line. Deane returned the turnover to the Jumbo 20. Ecstatic about the turnovers on back-to-back possessions, the Jeffs’ defense looked like the dominant team they knew they always could be. The offense returned to the field and added a Phillip Nwosu ’15 field goal to make the score 10-0 in favor of Amherst.
After an exchange of punts, the Jumbos’ offense finally was able to get some traction on the Jeffs defense. Starting deep in their own territory, Snyder threw a beautiful pass to Nik Dean for an 80-yard gain. Tamasi came up big with a forced fumble, although it was recovered by the Jumbos. Tufts ended up settling for a field goal attempt closing the score to 10-3 Amherst.
The offensive progress would not continue for the Jumbos in the second quarter, as on the next possession the Jeffs forced another turnover. Thomas Kleyn ’16 caught the ball at the Tufts four-yard line, setting up the Amherst offense to score once again. Wallace received the ball from Lippe on a handoff and ran in four yards for the touchdown. The Jeffs now took a commanding 17-3 lead. The second quarter continued without much excitement, except for a missed field goal by the Jumbos on the next possession. Gow would once again turn up the heat with about four minutes left in the half, intercepting a Snyder pass at the Tufts 38-yard line. Gow returned the interception over 30 yards to add to the Amherst score and giving the Jeffs’ defense another boost of confidence in their ability to handle the passing game.
Gow said that the play “happened because our pressure was forcing the quarterback to make decisions about where to throw the ball before the snap. He misread our coverage pre-snap and didn’t see me moving to cover the route.”
Overall, the Amherst defense had a commanding first half. “Especially in the first half, the defense performed in a way that really represented how dominant we can be,” Gow said. “We had a bad week against Wesleyan, but this week showed- against a weaker Tufts team- that we have the ability to really shut teams down and change the course of the game.”
The Jeffs went into the locker room with a 24-3 lead and the knowledge that they would start on offense in the second half. However, the Jeffs were unable to do much on offense, maintaining the 24-3 score for a while. The Jeffs defense did an impressive job limiting the Jumbo air attack and stopping many plays before they could even get started. It was not until the 8:25 mark in the fourth quarter that either team would break the punting streak. Lippe and the Jeffs offense began at the
Tufts 44-yard line. Following strong running by Myles Gaines ’17, the Jeffs worked their way to the 31-yard line. After a delay of game penalty, Lippe came up with the biggest offense play of the game, finding Wallace for a touchdown.
“Adam Wallace’s second touchdown on a long third down conversion was definitely a key play. It was our last score and really put a nail in the coffin,” Gow said.
The game was over after that. The score would remain 30-3 for the rest of the game and the Jeffs came out of Parents Weekend 2014 with a big win and an impressive 6-0 record.
All eyes turn to next week, as another huge test awaits the Jeffs. They face a talented Trinity who boasts an impressive record of 5-1 so far this on the season. They are on the tails of a 27-7 loss to Middlebury.
“I love playing Trinity,” Tamasi said. “Every year, you can expect a physical battle until the final whistle. Trinity’s home field, often deemed ‘The Coop,’ is a hostile place to play and the energy surrounding the field is infectious. I am looking forward to having another opportunity to take the field with my fellow teammates, especially as the end of my final season draws near.”
Middlebury snapped a 53 home-game winning streak for the Bantams last week, and Trinity will definitely be looking to avenge the loss against the Jeffs. “We’ll be scouting them and preparing just like we always do, but we know this is a big game and we’ll be prepared for a physical one,” Gow said.
Tamasi added that “the defense is going to have to continue to first, stop the run. We have to be physical up front in order to force the ball in the air … We have a tough group of guys, but we’re going to have to leave it all out there on Saturday.” The Jeffs will look to remain undefeated in their away game at Trinity, which begins at 12:30 p.m. The game will factor largely into the Jeffs postseason status.
